


Don't Cry

by Kerry_0506



Category: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-12
Updated: 2012-08-12
Packaged: 2017-11-12 00:01:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/484369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kerry_0506/pseuds/Kerry_0506
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I learnt it’s just not worth fighting over little things, like when I used to wait all night just to say I’m sorry, I love you.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Cry

**Author's Note:**

> The starting/ending lines are from a song named 'Don't Cry' by NKOTB, hence the title of the fic.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

_“I learnt it’s just not worth fighting over little things…”_

Something was wrong. Very wrong. Ethan sat in the passenger seat trying to figure it out. Glancing into the back of the van, he saw Jane’s face and it was clear that she sensed it too. He then shifted his gaze to Benji, who sat opposite Jane; the younger man was staring out of the back window in silence. Furrowing his brow, he finally turned to look at Brandt, who was driving them to their destination. He noted the exasperated expression on the analyst’s face and the way he kept looking in Benji’s direction. Taking in a deep breath, Ethan decided to bite the bullet. 

“Brandt?”

“Yeah?”

“Uh, I don’t mean to pry into the domesticity, but it looks an awful lot like Benji’s giving you the cold shoulder.”

“That would be because he is.” Brandt replied, not taking his eyes off the road. 

“Right…” Ethan nodded, quickly looking back at the tech, who sighed. “Mind me asking why?”

“I accidentally scratched one of his LP’s while I was cleaning the apartment on the weekend and he’s being melodramatic.” 

“I am not!” Benji protested from the back. “It was the second album I ever bought!” 

“We can get another one.” Brandt countered, hoping to win him over, but Benji shook his head.

“It’s not the same.” Benji whined, his face falling before he turned back to the window. 

Ethan watched the Brit for a few moments before turning back to Brandt. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” he whispered.

“I heard that.” Brandt and Ethan both rolled their eyes at this as the analyst continued to drive. When they finally pulled up outside the office building, they began to get their things together. 

“Ok, so everyone remembers what they’re doing?” Ethan asked before they exited the vehicle. When they nodded, he continued. “Ok, good. Any questions?” 

“Uh, yeah.” Benji raised a hand as if he was a child in a school lesson. “Remind me again why you’re making me climb through the vent ducts?” 

“Because you need to get to the wiring.” Ethan explained. 

“But why are you making me do it?” Benji protested. 

“You made me climb up the side of the world’s tallest building.” Ethan countered. 

“You made me run through a sewer.” Jane offered, resulting in a glare from Benji.

“You made me jump into a computer array.” Benji turned to Brandt and couldn’t think of how to counter this. He could have mentioned about the fact that he caught him, but he decided against it; he was, in theory, still giving him the cold shoulder. 

“Whatever.” He sighed. “Let’s just get this over and done with.” He turned and began to walk into the building, Ethan and Brandt following close behind while Jane took the back entrance. They had specifically planned it at night so that none of the workers would be there; they would only have the one night-time security guard to deal with. Benji saw him straight up, walking across the room with a smile. 

“Hey!” he said, cheerily. The man eyed Benji’s electrician’s outfit, much like the one he had donned in Mumbai, and raised a questioning eyebrow. 

“Who are you?” he asked, warily. Benji noticed his left hand twitching, moving subtly closer to his weapon. 

“I’m here to fix the problem.” He held up his toolbox to prove his point and tried to walk past him, however he felt the guard’s hand on his torso, pushing him back. 

“What problem?” Before Benji could give an answer, Brandt brought something hard down on the back of the guard’s head and he fell towards the floor. He and Ethan quickly caught him, dragging his limp figure to the nearest room. Once Ethan had switched into the guard’s uniform, they stepped back outside. 

“Alright, be quick guys.” He advised them, taking the position the guard had been in as he watched them run off. “Venus, how’s it going?” he whispered into the comm.

“All clear back here.” Jane’s voice sounded in his ear and he nodded. So far so good. It was just up to Benji and Brandt now; if the two of them could stand each other for the time it took them. All Benji had to do was mess with the wiring to get the electronic doors to unlock. That way they could get into their target’s office and remove the files. 

Benji and Brandt reached the correct floor, finding the vent duct entrance quickly and as the tech removed the grate, Brandt stood watch. He heard the metal fall to the ground with an unpleasant sound and flinched, turning to see Benji hanging half out of the hole in the wall. Reaching up, Brandt placed a hand on the younger man’s thigh, giving him a push to help. Once Benji was completely out of sight, Brandt stuck his head to the hole and looked down, seeing the small flashlight Benji was holding light up.

“Hey, good luck. Be quick so we can get out of here. Let me apologise to you.” As he stared down, he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of Benji’s heart-warming smile before he disappeared. Brandt sighed and leant against the wall, keeping an eye out for any threats as he waited. 

Inside the vent ducts, Benji crawled his way along the cold metal, listening to the echo of his movements. He continued along the path he had memorised from the maps earlier and turned another corner-

Only to find his hand missing the metal.

He fell about seven feet, landing head first onto the metal below. He let out an involuntary yell of pain. 

“Pluto?!” Brandt’s panicked voice came through the comm and he let out a groan. 

“That wasn’t meant to be there.” Was all Benji’s brain would allow. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Yeah… dizzy, but alright.” He maneuvered himself around so the he was standing in the hole and looked up. Fortunately, the level he had fallen from wasn’t too far, so with a jump, he was able to grab onto the edge and hoist himself up. Once he was steady again, he flopped down for a second to catch his breath. Rubbing his aching head, he took in a deep breath and began to move again. “I’m getting too old for this…” 

“You’re nowhere near 40 yet, Pluto.” Brandt’s voice drifted into his ear once more. “You’ve still got plenty of time to do the dangerous stuff.” Benji detected a hint of Brandt’s bedroom voice and he felt the sound travel downwards. 

“Shut up, _Saturn_.” Benji emphasised on his codename to try and prove his point. He continued to crawl and mumbled incoherent profanities under his breath as he moved. When he placed his hand on the next panel of metal, however, he froze. The touch made the metal move slightly. Despite his movements having stopped, the panel beneath him continued to move. “Oh, this is not good.”

“What’s not good?” Brandt asked. 

“I think I’m about t-” Benji couldn’t finish his sentence as the panel finally caved underneath him. He fell at a terrifying pace, somersaulting before landing on his back, his head hitting the wooden floor with a crack.

_Fucking twice_ … Benji thought as his vision swam around him. He tried to get his breath back after it had been knocked from him upon impact and he blinked a few times. Through his blurred sight, he saw movement; there was a figure standing over him. 

“Who the hell are you?” the voice – a man – asked. After a few seconds, once his eyesight had cleared, he saw the man who stood above him, instantly recognising him as the target who was not meant to be there. 

From the hallway, Brandt heard the distant voice in his ear and his eyes widened. 

“Uh…” Benji began, noticing the gun that the man held in his hands. “I’m just here to do some work with the wiring.” The tech offered his most innocent smile, seeing as it wasn’t entirely a lie. 

“Well that’s funny.” The man tilted his head to the side, raising the gun. “Because we didn’t order any work to be done tonight.” Benji saw the gun aimed at him and squeezed his eyes shut. 

Brandt heard the gunshot and his heart stopped for a second. “Benji?” He received silence from the other end and his heart then began to race. “Benji?!” He didn’t wait to hear anything this time, as he began to run in the direction of the target’s room. 

Inside the room, Benji’s breathing was laboured as he turned to look at the hole in the floor right next to his ear where the bullet hand landed. He glanced back up to the man, who had stepped across the room to a cupboard behind the desk. 

“Why are you here?” the man asked, stopping for a moment to stare down at where Benji lay. The tech watched the man grip something in his spare hand. “Maybe I can make you talk.” Benji saw the long pole of metal that now sat in the man’s hand, watching as he lifted it to reveal its full form. The man stepped forwards, placing the gun on the table nearby so that he could grip the golf club firmly in both hands as he lifted it above his head. Benji tried to move out of the way, but he wasn’t quick enough, feeling the hard metal make contact with his arm. He let out a cry of agony at the contact, biting his lip to prevent anymore sound. “Still not talking, huh?” The Brit watched as he lifted up the club again, squeezing his eyes shut waiting for impact.

Outside in the halls, Brandt heard Benji’s second pain inflicted cry and sped up his run. As he turned a corner, he didn’t see the unexpected guard quickly enough and a gunshot sounded. He felt the bullet graze his bicep and groaned aloud before recovering and charging. He collided with the man with full force, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Brandt straddled the guard and threw several vicious punches at the man’s face. The guard managed to get a lucky hit in, catching Brandt in the jaw, but the analyst maintained power, rendering the man unconscious with a few more blows. Grabbing the guard’s gun, he continued to run, begging that Benji was alright. 

Benji clutched at his knee, certain of two things: one, that his kneecap was damaged from the second hit and two, that he had put his teeth through his bottom lip. He watched the man step over him, stopping closer to his torso before lifting the golf club again. This time, it made contact with his side, the blow landing just above his hipbone. His vision was blurring because of the pain and his eyes were starting to water. He was probably about to die and he was sure that he heard another gunshot from the hall, causing him to worry that Brandt was injured. Mentally, he scolded himself for letting himself get so angry over the album because now, he was about to die with Brandt thinking that Benji hated him. Or maybe Brandt had already been killed thinking that. 

And that thought pained him more than any assaults with a golf club could. 

He let his head flop back onto the floor as the man fixed his grip on the golf club, lifting it above his head once more. He closed his eyes in acceptance of his fate as the man spoke again. 

“Well if you won’t talk to me, I’m afraid you won’t be talking to anyone else.” 

Suddenly, there was a gunshot, causing Benji to jump. He opened his eyes to see their target falling, landing on top of him with a painful thud. He tried to push the body off him, however his own body was hurting so much that he couldn’t move it. 

“Benji!” 

“Will?” Benji looked up to see Brandt pushing the body off him and bending down next to where he lay. As he lifted Benji’s upper body into his lap, the tech let out a small yelp of pain when pressure was placed on his injured arm. 

“Oh god, Benji, I’m sorry. Where are yo-”

“Will, you’re bleeding!” Benji interrupted, noticing the wetness on his arm. 

“It’s just a scratch.” Brandt replied, looking across at the man he had just killed. He suddenly made the connection between the pain Benji was in and the item the man had been holding. “Benji, did he hit you with that?” Benji bit his lip and nodded. “Jesus…” Suddenly, Brandt’s phone rang.

“Hello?” Brandt’s voice wavered as he answered.

“Brandt, what the hell is going on?” Ethan’s voice was stressed and frantic. 

“Long story. We’re ok, but the target is…” Brandt looked at the body. “Dead.”

“What?” Ethan’s voice was sharp. “Why was he even there? I thought he was meant to be gone?” 

“Yeah, well he wasn’t. And he tried to kill Benji.” He heard Ethan’s sharp intake of breath. 

“Is he ok?” 

“Yeah, thank god.” Brandt smiled down at Benji who was looking more relaxed but still in pain. 

“Did you get the documents?” Ethan asked. 

“I’ll get them now and we’ll be right down.” Brandt hung up and looked down at Benji. “Do you think you can walk?” 

“Will, he… He got my knee and my hip. I don’t think I can even stand.” The vulnerability in Benji’s voice hit Brandt right in the stomach and he nodded, lowering Benji back to the floor as he stood up. 

“Alright, just stay here and I-”

“Stay here?” Benji forced a smile. 

“Shut up.” Brandt laughed slightly as he made his way across the room. He reached the filing cabinet and opened the drawers, sifting through each one until he found the documents IMF were after. Pocketing them, he turned back to Benji. “Ok, you ready?” 

“As I’ll ever be.” Benji nodded as Brandt approached and lifted him into his arms. “Easy, easy.” 

“I’m trying, ok?” 

“I know. I’m sorry.” Benji’s face dropped as he spoke. “I’m sorry for before too. I didn’t mean to have a go at you, I just-”

“Hey, it’s ok.” Brandt explained as he made sure Benji was safe in his arms. “I’m sorry for being such a klutz.” Benji smiled at this and they began to walk. “We’d better get down or Ethan will have fit.” 

“Good thinking.” Benji nodded and they made their way down the corridor. Cradling his injured arm, Benji rested his head against Brandt’s shoulder and closed his eyes, worried about what shit he would be in once Ethan got his hands on him. The swaying of Brandt’s walking was smoother than he imagined and he began to relax, despite the pain radiating from his body. After a few seconds, he took in a deep breath. “I’m not hurting you am I?” he mumbled, not opening his eyes. 

“Of course not.” Brandt replied; Benji felt his voice vibrate from the analyst’s chest onto his body. “You’re too damn light, considering all the crap you eat.” 

“You’re lucky I’m barely conscious and injured right now, cos I would totally kick your arse.” Benji felt Brandt laugh against him at these words and he fell silent once more, wondering how much further they had to go before they reached the others. He heard the dinging of the elevator and Brandt began to move again. When had he stopped? Benji assumed he must have blacked out for a few seconds as he soon heard Ethan and Jane’s frantic voices. Their footsteps skittered across the marble floors and he blinked open his eyes, unwrapping himself within Brandt’s arms to see them approaching. 

“Are you guys ok?” Jane gasped, clearly worried by the fact that Brandt was having to carry Benji. 

“We’re fine.” Brandt replied, his tone as comforting as he could muster. “Though Benji took a few hits with a golf club.”

“Shit.” Ethan whispered. “You ok?” 

“Yeah… M’fine...” Benji replied sleepily. “Arm, knee and hip. S’not too bad…” 

“Well you’re still going to the hospital.” Ethan nodded for Brandt to follow him and they headed back to the van. 

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

When Benji was released from the hospital, Brandt was ready and waiting to take him home. After a quick kiss, Brandt helped Benji into the passenger seat, the brace on his knee causing some difficulty in doing so. As the analyst drove back to their apartment, he noticed Benji’s strange silence. Of course Benji would have his moments of peaceful thoughts, but this seemed different. The look in Benji’s eyes told Brandt that there was something on his mind and the thin line that Benji’s lips formed told him that whatever it was, it was causing him trouble. Brandt opened his mouth to speak however decided against it. Whatever it was that was bothering Benji, he would tell him if it became too much. He trusted Benji to trust him. 

The pair picked up some dinner on the way back to the apartment and ate with only a few words passing between them. Every time Brandt would ask if Benji was ok, the younger man would simply nod and brush it off, causing the analyst to feel more concern. He knew that Benji wasn’t the biggest one for laying his feelings out on the table, but usually if something was bothering him to the extent that this seemed to be, he would open up. When the sun had finally set, the pair headed to the bathroom, where Benji helped Brandt change the dressing on his arm. The wound was well on its way to healing however still looked painful and made Benji wince. This didn’t get past Brandt; the tech was normally ok when it came to blood and injuries, but this one seemed to cause a greater reaction out of him. Brandt wondered if it was somehow connected to why Benji had been so silent since leaving the hospital. They made their way back to their room and began to change, Brandt finding his gaze transfixed to the bruising on Benji’s bicep and hip. He wished that he could just wash away the marks left by the golf club, wished that he could wipe the memory of the attack from Benji’s mind; but he knew that he couldn’t. He helped Benji out of his knee brace and the pair lay down under the sheets together, Benji wrapped in Brandt’s arms. 

Brandt stirred in the early hours of the morning, taking in a deep breath as he let consciousness in slowly. It took him a stretch and a few seconds to realise that there was an empty space in the bed next to him. Blinking away the last remains of sleep, he raised himself into a seated position and ran a hand through his hair, listening to the rain outside for a few moments. Finally, he swung his legs over the end of the bed and made his way out of the room. The tiles were cool on his bare feet and he felt a chill travel down his spine. When he finally reached the open living area, he saw Benji standing by the sliding doors which led to their balcony. As he stepped closer to the younger man, he noticed the serious look on his face and the way that the streetlights below cast an eerie glow on his face, illuminating the cut on Benji’s lip.

“Benji?” Brandt spoke softly, watching as Benji’s head turned towards him. “What are you doing up?” He took a few steps closer before noticing something. “Where’s your brace?” Brandt suddenly rushed to Benji, worried that he might fall despite the fact that he seemed steady enough. Benji merely shrugged and turned back to face the window, resting his forehead against the cool glass. “Benj, please tell me what’s wrong. Talk to me.” 

“I’m sorry.” Benji’s voice was barely louder than a whisper. 

“Sorry?” Brandt asked, feeling confused. “Sorry for what, Benji?” 

“For being mad at you.” The tech didn’t face him as he spoke. “I shouldn’t have done that.” 

It took a few seconds for Brandt to realise what Benji meant. “Wait, is this about the LP?” He furrowed his brow as he rested a comforting hand on Benji’s shoulder. “You have no need to be sorry. I was careless and-”

“Will, you don’t understand.” Finally, the Brit turned to look Brandt directly in the eyes. “When I was in that room with our target, I thought I was about to die. Then I heard the gun go off and I thought you’d been killed.” He took in a deep breath before continuing. “I thought that we were both about to die and all I could think about was how stupid I had been for getting so upset over the LP.” 

“Benji…” 

“I thought I’d lost you, Will. I thought I’d lost you and all I had done before that was get on your back about that bloody record.” Benji squeezed his eyes shut and Brandt spotted a single tear sneaking down the younger man’s cheek. Reaching up, he caught it with his thumb, brushing it across the warm skin there as he cupped Benji’s face in his hands. 

“Hey, hey, stop. Don’t cry, ok? And don’t apologise either.” Brandt waited for Benji to open his eyes, but when he didn’t, he pressed a small kiss to the end of the tech’s nose. “Look at me.” Once he could see those beautiful blue eyes again, he continued. “Everyone gets upset about things, be it big or small. It may seem silly to have got so annoyed about that, but it meant something to you. When something you find special and important gets damaged like that, you get mad at the person who caused it. Some people ignore that person, like you did. Others shoot them.” Benji was confused for a few seconds before he realised what Brandt meant. 

“So you’re comparing me to a favourite record now?” Benji’s lips curved up ever so slightly at the edges and Brandt found himself smiling back. 

“Well why not? I mean you’re timeless.” Brandt placed a kiss to Benji’s left cheek as the Brit laughed at this description. “You’re something I will never get sick of spending time with.” He placed a kiss to Benji’s right cheek. “And, no matter how worn, tired or broken you may get, I will always keep you by my side because I love you too much.” His lips then found Benji’s and he lowered his hands to the tech’s waist, allowing Benji to wrap his arms around Brandt’s neck. After a few moments, Benji felt Brandt bend down to lift him into his arms. As he gripped the analyst’s neck tighter to ensure he didn’t fall, Benji raised an eyebrow. 

“I can walk, you know.” 

“LP’s can’t walk to the record player themselves.” Brandt winked, causing Benji to roll his eyes. 

“Ok, these comparisons started off cute, but now you’re just getting lame.” He let out a laugh as he was lowered to the bed and he settled down into the pillows as Brandt knelt down on the bed next to him. Before lying down, however, he bent his head down and placed an affectionate kiss against Benji’s injured knee. The tech smiled softly, watching the older man move up to place another kiss at the bruise at his hip. He then felt those warm lips touch the sensitive skin on his bicep before returning to his own lips, capturing them once more as they wrapped themselves in each other’s arms. There they lay, legs tangled and lips joined as they listened to each other’s heartbeats, reminding themselves that they were very much alive. 

_“… like when I used to wait all night just to say I’m sorry, I love you.”_

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o


End file.
